


Citrus

by FruitofSorrow



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Comedy, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2019-12-28
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:47:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21999988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FruitofSorrow/pseuds/FruitofSorrow
Summary: Hinata likes to cuddle and has cuddled with every member of the Karasuno Volleyball team except for one grumpy blond.Meanwhile, Tsukishima has been going through a rough patch. Could Hinata's cuddle service be exactly what the doctor ordered?
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Tsukishima Kei
Comments: 12
Kudos: 526





	Citrus

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working on this on and off for a little over a month and have finally deemed it publishable. Please enjoy this small labor of love.

After the practice match against Fukurodani, Hinata raced to be the first one back on the bus. Daichi yelled at him to slow down, and Kageyama grumbled something under his breath as their shoulders knocked together in his haste. When he was on board, he made a beeline for the seat in the last row— _his_ seat—and nearly smashed his cheek against the window to watch as the second-years elbowed their way toward the bus. The rest of the team as well as the managers, Coach Ukai, and Takeda-sensei walked behind them at their own leisure, choosing to enjoy the crisp twilight air a while longer.

Hinata smiled, curious as to who would claim the cuddle seat today.

See, Hinata was known by all to be very touchy. He liked to feel the warmth of other bodies against his own, and he also happened to have a thing for the unique scent of each individual. Tanaka, for example, smelled like sweet cologne, Daichi like old leather, and Kageyama smelled somewhat medicinal, though Hinata hadn't yet been able to discern what exact kind. In short, if physical boundaries were a thing, Hinata would be the sledgehammer that tore down people's walls. He'd even managed to completely ensnare the antisocial Kenma in a trap made entirely of rainbows, and if that wasn't proof enough of his talent for making friends, then what was?

For the most part, no one has minded his clinginess. After particularly exhaustive games, Hinata’s warm hugs and therapeutic cuddles are much sought after. That's why, over time, it's sort of become an unspoken rule that the seat beside his is available for whoever needs it most. As soon as Hinata parks his butt on that seat, business is officially open.

Guessing who will claim the seat isn’t an exact science, but Hinata _has_ observed a pattern. Kageyama seeks him out from time to time, but the disgruntled setter will always come after matches against Seijoh as they seem to put him in a terrible mood. Yamaguchi, who likes to be cuddled almost as much as he does, comes over whenever his best friend is not in the mood to humor him. Noya, Tanaka, and Kinoshita are regulars—the teddy bear club, as Asahi calls them. They claim the seat when they require a body-pillow. Asahi and Suga, who have the best sense on the team, offer up their shoulders to Hinata whenever they deem him ready for rest himself. Daichi, Ennoshita, and Narita, who aren't the biggest fanatics of tactile affection, come around only as a last resort. 

Needless to say, Hinata has cuddled with every single player on the Karasuno team. All except for one grumpy blond. 

Hinata shouldn't care. It's not like he’s ever thought Tsukishima would one day come to him for anything, but lately, a dark cloud has been looming over the blond's head, and Hinata has repeatedly caught himself wondering if there’s anything he could do to help. 

He shook the idea out of his mind. 

If even Yamaguchi couldn’t do a thing for Tsukishima, there was no reason for Hinata to believe he’d have more success. As far as he knew, even the Fukurodani and Nekoma captains had tried their hand at giving Tsukishima some sage words during training camp, but the blond’s moodiness only worsened after that. Hinata didn’t know what was said between them, but he understood it had something to do with volleyball. For some obscure reason, volleyball appeared to be the root of most of Tsukishima’s troubles. In any case, Hinata hoped the walking sass-monster would resolve his problem soon. For the team’s sake. 

Choosing to focus on more peaceful things, Hinata leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. After expending so much energy throughout the day, a part of him was hoping for either Suga or Yamaguchi to be his cuddle buddy. Suga was warm and would accommodate him the best, but Yamaguchi was the best at giving hugs, and sometimes Hinata liked to be held, too. If he got anyone else, he might not get a wink of sleep before they arrived at school.

When he heard the first of his teammates’ footsteps climbing up the steps, an electric pulse shot through Hinata, and he went rigid. The anxious boy held his breath, every cell in his body vibrating with anticipation.

But his customer’s slow steps were maddening. Hinata wanted to peek and be done with the suspense, but half of the fun came from testing his familiarity with the others through touch alone, and since Hinata didn’t want to cheat, his only real option was to wait.

With a loud thud, a bag was dropped by his feet, and Hinata flinched, tucking them under his seat protectively. 

_Kageyama,_ was Hinata’s first thought. Kageyama was rash and clumsy, and would totally drop his things on Hinata just to get a reaction from him.

Hinata's lips quirked up, ready to poke fun at the setter for a screw up he remembered from practice, but when the person looming over him promptly sat down and didn't touch him at all, he stopped in his tracks.

_That_ was unlike Kageyama, who usually slumped down in his seat like melted ice cream, limbs spread out and pushing Hinata to the edge of his own seat.

When more people started to get on the bus, Hinata’s ears perked for clues. He heard Daichi’s authoritative voice tell Tanaka and Noya to quit messing around. Suga and Shimizu were having a chat about the match. And he thought he heard Ennoshita and Asahi burst into song, which ruled them out, too.

That’s when he heard it: Kageyama’s voice from a distance—that familiar dumb cadence he used when something annoyed him. Hinata of all people was used to hearing it. Then the bus went completely silent, and it was that unusual, eerie quiet that prompted Hinata to crack an eye open.

Everyone had turned to look his way, except they weren’t looking at Hinata. Their eyes were trained on the person sitting next to him. Hinata slowly turned his head and his entire body went cold.

“Tsukishima!” he yelped.

The blond boy looked down his nose at him. There was a sneer in his eyes, even though his face hadn’t strayed from its natural stoicism. Why the hell had he sat down next to him if he was going to be like that? Had he forgotten about the unspoken rule? 

No. Rule or no rule, Tsukishima had no reason to take this seat. He’d gotten on the bus first. He’d had first pick!

Then had he noticed Hinata's exhaustion? Did he know Hinata had been looking forward to snuggling time all day? Was this Tsukishima's way of messing with him?

Tsukishima could be a bastard, but he wouldn’t put himself in an uncomfortable position just to be spiteful. It was a dumb, double-edged strategy, and Tsukki was anything but dumb. 

Hinata immediately turned to Yamaguchi for answers and found said boy's gaze flickering between the two of them. When their eyes met, the freckled boy only shrugged apologetically, seemingly as confused as he was. 

While everyone scrambled to find a seat, more than a few confused and curious eyes drifted back to the last row. However, as soon as the bus rumbled to a start, it was like the whole world melted away. One by one, the Karasuno volleyball club members started to fall asleep like babies. 

But not Hinata. How could he?

Hinata scrunched up the hem of his shirt, unsure of what to do. Was he _supposed_ to do anything? He chanced a look at the boy beside him and saw that Tsukishima had leaned his head back and closed his eyes, but his still noisy earbuds made it clear he wasn’t sleeping. 

_Maybe I should just ask him_ , Hinata thought. 

Just as he was working up his nerves, Tsukishima rolled his shoulders to crack his back. When he turned his body toward him, Hinata held his breath. 

Then the taller boy leaned into him, their shoulders touched, and Tsukishima’s cheek pressed down on the crown of his head. Hinata felt like he might suffocate underneath the new, unfamiliar weight.

_Holy crap! Is this really Tsukishima?_

Hinata’s face was nearly pressed flush against Tsukishima’s collarbone. _Too close for comfort_ , he thought, wanting to move away. But he couldn’t.

He took in a deep breath to calm himself and accidentally caught a whiff of the boy’s scent, something he’d never gotten close enough to do before. There was a subtle lemon signature to Tsukishima, which he found rather curious. It wasn’t anything like freshly squeezed lemon juice, but something more synthetic, like soap or laundry detergent. 

Twisting the fabric of his shirt between his fingers, hard, Hinata pulled his head back.

“H-hey,” he whispered, but Tsukishima didn’t hear him. 

_The music._ Of course.

Hinata considered his options. He could raise his voice to get Tsukishima’s attention. But that would wake up the others, and the last thing Hinata wanted was for Kageyama to hold this over his head. The idiot would probably snap photos to use as blackmail later. 

And if he shook him, somehow Hinata had a feeling he wouldn’t live to see another day. Besides, irritating Tsukishima would defeat the purpose of him having come to Hinata in the first place. This seat came with the promise of peace and relaxation, and Hinata prided himself on his ability to deliver just that.

He pursed his lips, thoughtful.

But what about _his_ needs?

Hinata was generous, but he wasn’t a saint, and especially not where Tsukishima was concerned. There was only so much he’d allow the taller boy compared to everyone else. Maybe things would be different if Tsukishima wasn’t always snubbing him or poking fun at his mistakes, his height, his intellect (or lack thereof). 

So Tsukishima be damned, he thought. 

Hinata twisted his body out from under Tsukishima and pressed his spine firmly against the backrest of his seat. The movement jostled Tsukishima, who let out a small grunt before he scooted close again to nestle his face back in Hinata’s hair.

Hinata should’ve known Tsukishima wouldn’t let him have his way, but at least his face wasn’t smooshed against the blond’s clavicles anymore. 

In his periphery, Hinata saw Tsukishima’s fingers twitch. Slowly, they began to crawl over the space between them to take Hinata’s wrist and pull the hand still gripping the crumpled shirt toward him. It was a firm hold, but loose enough that Hinata didn’t feel like he was being shackled.

Hinata’s brow furrowed. Though it was now clear what Tsukishima wanted, he couldn’t stop thinking the scenario was odd. Tsukishima had never let so much as their arms brush before, and now he was not only grabbing his hand, but he was downright snuggling up to him. 

Without thinking, Hinata’s free hand went up to touch Tsukishima’s forehead, smoothing back his short blond hair. 

Tsukki’s eyes opened halfway, and Hinata froze. 

“What are you doing?”

Hinata retracted his hand quickly. He wanted to pull his other hand away too, but Tsukishima didn’t give him a chance. 

“I—,” he said, struggling for words. “I thought you might be sick.”

Tsukishima raised a brow and looked at him funny. “Why would you think that?”

Hinata swallowed. _Because you’re acting needy and it’s weirding me out._

“You sat next to me. You never do that.”

_You’ve never wanted to before._

Tsukishima’s lips quirked into a wry smile. “And you don’t usually mind who does.”

“Yeah, but you’re—” Hinata started to say, but then his mind reeled. What? What could he say? That he was different? The exception? There were so many adjectives he could affix to the front of Tsukishima’s name, and yet none of them would fully encapsulate Hinata’s frustration. So he settled for a simple “you,” trusting that it would suffice.

Tsukishima’s smirk wavered for a fraction of a second. “I should file a business complaint against you for discrimination, shorty.”

Like a fish on a hook, Hinata took the bait. “W-well, don’t I have a right to refuse service to anyone?” He bit back.

“Are you telling me to get lost?”

Hinata’s lips pressed into a line. 

He wanted to say yes— and tell him to let go while he was at it— but Tsukishima really did look exhausted. Now that they were so close, Hinata noticed the dark circles under his bloodshot eyes. Had he been getting proper rest? 

“That’s not what I meant,” he answered, letting his voice drop back to a murmur when he saw Tanaka begin to stir in his seat. “I was just under the impression you hated the idea, that’s all.”

Tsukishima leaned closer, his breath tickled Hinata’s face.

“I do hate it,” he said, closing his eyes again. “I hate that I need it.”

It sounded almost desperate, the way he said it. Like a part of him was still trying to push Hinata away. There was a beat before he continued. “You just happen to be the only one offering.”

Hinata swallowed back a lump. “What about Yamaguchi?”

Tsukishima sighed. A kaleidoscope of emotions played on his face as though not even he could pinpoint the exact thing bothering him, and because he didn’t know what that was, he was unable to respond accordingly.

“He’s my best friend,” Tsukishima answered after a moment of silence. “He worries more than anyone.”

Hinata cocked his head. To him, it all looked so simple. Tsukishima wanted someone to lean on, and he had a friend more than willing to offer him a shoulder. Why then did the blond boy look so tortured?

“Doesn’t that comfort you? To know that he cares?” Hinata ventured. 

“It’s no comfort to me,” Tsukishima said matter-of-factly, his face severe.

Hinata studied him. He was surprised that Tsukishima was even answering his questions. Normally he’d just get shut down.

_Ah_. _I see now,_ he thought. 

If he was reading this right, it seemed that Tsukishima would feel even worse to know he’d made Yamaguchi worry on his account. And carrying Tsukishima’s burden on his shoulders as though it were his own was definitely the Yamaguchi thing to do. He was simply that type of friend.

But Tsukishima was a bit special. More than anyone, he hated to be the target of pity or anything that could possibly be mistaken for it. Friend or foe, Tsukishima would revile it all the same.

Hinata didn’t think Yamaguchi saw it that way—that his concern was anything but pure love for his friend—but how was the nearly friendless Tsukishima to know the difference? 

That’s why he’d come to the cuddle seat instead. If anyone could be counted on to face Tsukishima with the cold, hard facts, it’d be Hinata. He had no reason to coddle the guy. Not when Tsukishima had it all: height, intelligence, _height._ And Hinata supposed he wasn’t miserable looking, either. He’d heard the way the girls in his class talked about the boys in their year. 

He smiled a small, knowing smile. 

As though sensing this change, Tsukishima tilted his head to stare him down. “Put that smug look away,” he said, his tone biting. 

Hinata only smiled brighter and looped his arm through Tsukishima’s, pulling him close so that he could rest his head on the boy’s shoulder. 

Tsukishima tried to say something but the words came out as a splutter. 

“Just to be clear, I’m not only doing this for you. I’m doing it for _me_.” Hinata said. 

And it was true. Hinata was absolutely exhausted, and he’d take all the cuddles he could get, even from a guy like Tsukishima.

The blond boy could only grunt a hesitant affirmation. 

Somewhat pleased with himself, Hinata closed his eyes and honed in on the way the two of them surprisingly fit together. 

Despite his appearance and demeanor, Tsukishima’s body temperature ran pretty warm. Or maybe it was that they’d just played a match and he’d gotten himself all worked up. It didn’t matter. Like this, Hinata felt like he could melt into sleep.

Hinata didn’t let go of Tsukishima for the rest of the ride, though the two shifted positions every now and then so that they wouldn’t wake up the next morning with stiff joints or kinks in their necks. They didn’t say or do much of anything, which Hinata was perfectly fine with, but when he noticed the soft croons and wild yowls of the singers blasting from Tsukishima’s earbuds, the curious boy plucked one out of his ear so he could listen for himself.

He didn’t look up to see Tsukishima’s reaction, but it was clear the boy was annoyed when he fruitlessly tried to shove his elbow into Hinata’s side. Still, he didn’t move to take it back, and Hinata took that as a sign of good faith. He snuggled closer, his left arm reaching over to wrap around Tsukishima’s middle. He held him like a pillow. 

Tentatively, Tsukishima slid his right arm from between their bodies and instead slinked it around Hinata's shoulders. This allowed them to press even closer, much to Hinata's delight.

This is how he ended up nodding off. A warm arm slung around his shoulders, and a slow melody playing in his ear.

*

He couldn’t say for sure what stole him from dreamland. Maybe it was the bus’ slow crawl to a stop, and the sudden dead silence of the engine, or perhaps it was the Coach’s wake up call that stirred him to consciousness. It could have even been that he sensed Tsukishima’s intense stare as he stayed behind while everyone else got off the bus. He wasn’t too concerned with the specifics.

Hinata rubbed his arm across his tired eyes and squinted to adjust his vision. 

Outside, the team’s raucous laughter went unaffected by Takeda-sensei’s insistent shushes and Coach Ukai’s slightly more violent threats. 

But on the bus, where it was dark and the sounds from the outside world were muffled, there was only him, Tsukishima, and a glaring cold between them.

Hinata looked down at his arms and legs to see that Tsukishima had already freed himself from their tangled limbs. He could have just as easily gotten off the bus with the others, but he hadn’t. 

Hinata cracked a tired smile. “I’m guessing you got stuck with wake-up duty.”

He meant it as a lighthearted joke, but truthfully, Hinata couldn’t fathom a single reason for why Tsukishima would willingly wait up for him. Even though he knew he had to have been forced to stay behind, a part of Hinata hoped he had it all wrong.

Suddenly, Tsukishima got to his feet and slung his bag over one shoulder. 

“You sleep like a brick.”

Hinata grimaced. “Yeah, well you _wanted_ to sleep with this brick, so I better not hear any complaints.”

He didn’t notice the implication of the words until it was too late. Hinata flushed, and he thanked the volleyball gods that it was too dark for the blond to notice. 

He cleared his throat. “Well, I’m up. You can go now.”

As though considering something, Tsukishima shifted his weight from one leg to the other, but he didn’t move an inch from his spot. 

_What does he want now?_ Hinata racked his brain. Then it dawned on him. _No. It can’t be._

The shorter boy pressed his hands to his mouth, stifling a big laugh. “What’s this? Is the great Tsukishima going to _thank_ me?”

Tsukishima averted his gaze and coughed into a fisted hand. "D-don't flatter yourself. I'm only making sure you don't leave anything behind in your post-sleep haze. Last time, you made Shimizu-senpai go back for your lunchbox, remember?"

Hinata spluttered. “That was _one_ time, and besides, I apologized to her, didn’t I?”

Tsukishima’s lips stretched wide. One of his eyebrows raised. “ _Oh?_ Well, since you’re such an apologetic shrimp, why don’t you apologize for drooling all over my shoulder?”

Hinata clenched his hands and shot up on his feet. “I don’t drool!”

Tsukishima turned his back and started to walk down the aisle as though wanting to end the conversation. But he spoke. “I’m going to have to wash my jersey twice just to get rid of your idiot germs,” he lamented mockingly, clearly enjoying the rise he was getting out of Hinata. 

“Jerk,” Hinata called after him. “Is this how you repay the person who held you like a baby? You’re lucky I was around. Except for Yamaguchi, no one would have tolerated it. Do you hear me?”

With one foot already on the bottom step to get off the bus, Tsukishima stopped. He turned his head to look back at Hinata, and with the least genuine smile Hinata had ever seen in his life, the blond boy said: “You’re right. I’m sorry. I don’t know how I’ve lived all these years without your spit on my clothes.”

Before Hinata could throw his bag at his head, Tsukishima was gone.

Hinata stared at the open door, fuming. 

_Just you wait, Tsukishima. One of these days, you'll come back for more. And when you do, I'll make damn sure you thank me afterward._

_*_

The day that Karasuno beat Shiratorizawa for a spot at Nationals, Tsukishima took the seat beside Hinata for the second time. The first thing he did was take the shorter boy's hand in his, and later, when Hinata poked fun at him for it— in front of the entire team—the blond boy denied it ever happened. 

Hinata is _still_ waiting for that thank you.

**Author's Note:**

> I've made a twitter account(@FruitofSorrow) if anyone is interested in semi-live updates for future Haikyuu fics. I haven't gotten any requests yet, but if any of you want to send some my way, that would be the place to do it. Message me or tweet at me. Whichever you prefer.  
> (๑°꒵°๑)･*♡


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